Tears of the Prophets
In the death of Jadzia Dax and the Sisko's purpose ' |image= |series= |production=40510-550 |producer(s)= |story= |script=Ira Steven Behr and Hans Beimler |director=Allan Kroeker |imdbref=tt0708610 |guests=Andrew Robinson as Elim Garak, Jeffrey Combs as Weyoun, Marc Alaimo as Gul Dukat, David Birney as Letant, J. G. Hertzler as General Martok, Aron Eisenberg as Ensign Nog, Casey Biggs as Damar, Barry Jenner as Admiral Ross, Michelle Horn as Saghi, Bob Kirsh as Glinn and James Darren as Vic Fontaine |previous_production=The Sound of Her Voice |next_production=Image in the Sand |episode=DS9 S06E26 |airdate=17 June 1998 |previous_release=The Sound of Her Voice |next_release=Image in the Sand |story_date(s)=Unknown |group="N"}} (2374) |previous_story=The Sound of Her Voice |next_story=Image in the Sand }} Summary Starfleet Command decides to take the offensive in the war against the Dominion, and Sisko is chosen to lead the invasion of Cardassia. The first target is the Chin'toka System, picked for its diminished defenses. Unfortunately, the crew is unaware that the Cardassian/Dominion Alliance has secretly deployed hundreds of orbital weapon platforms to protect the system, and that Gul Dukat has returned claiming he has the key to destroying Sisko and the Federation. Sisko and Klingon General Martok meet with Romulan Senator Letant and convince his people to join the invasion force. Later, the Bajoran Prophets — the mysterious aliens who reside in the wormhole — appear to Sisko in a vision and advise him not to go to Cardassia. Sisko requests permission to heed the Prophets' warning, but Admiral Ross orders him to choose once and for all between his roles as the Bajoran Emissary and a Starfleet Captain. Sisko decides to proceed with leading the invasion, leaving Dax in charge of the station. Meanwhile, Dukat reveals his plan is to drive the godlike Prophets from the wormhole. Releasing an energy vortex from a Bajoran wooden figurine, his body is taken over by an evil Pah-wraith. The invasion force reaches Cardassian space just before the defensive system becomes operational. Discovering all of the platforms are using the same power source, the crew tries to locate it. Back on the station, Dukat, possessed by the Pah-wraith, materializes in the Bajoran shrine and injures Dax critically, then destroys the sacred orb. The wormhole implodes and, at that instant, Sisko staggers back with the uneasy feeling that the Prophets are reaching out to him. The power source is destroyed, disabling the weapon platforms and allowing Sisko's forces to invade Cardassian soil. However, their celebration is cut short by an urgent message from the station. They return, and although Dr. Bashir was able to save the Dax symbiont, Jadzia dies. Sisko, seeing that the wormhole has closed and all of the orbs have gone dark, fears that the Prophets have abandoned Bajor. Believing he has failed as both Emissary and Captain, Sisko decides he needs time to think about how to make things right. He takes a leave of absence from Deep Space Nine, returning with Jake to Earth. Errors and Explanations Nit Central # Aaron Dotter on Saturday, December 05, 1998 - 6:21 pm: When Martok said in response to the question of if they could get to the system in time, he says "We'll have to leave first thing in the morning." Well, why not leave right now? Think of how much more time they would have had! I suppose there could be a reason why they did not leave right away, but they never gave it. They were probably completing final preperations and resupplying. # Chris Booton on Monday, December 07, 1998 - 8:35 pm: What I don't get is how the Defiant could take plasma torpedo after plasma torpedo and yet still be okay, while the other ships would blow up only after a couple. I know she's powerfull, but not that powerful! She has Ablative Armour, remember! # Meg on Saturday, February 06, 1999 - 12:47 pm: It still wonder why Odo didn't come in and Stop Dukat. He must have some way of knowing an unauthorized Beam in. Mike Konczewski on Monday, February 08, 1999 - 6:26 am: I think they did spot the beam in. It's fits in the time table--Dukat beams in, zaps Jadzia, zaps the orb, leaves. Meanwhile, Odo gets an unauthorized beam-alarm, identifies the locations, runs to the shrine, finds Jadzia only seconds after Dukat's beam-out. Sharon Jordan on Monday, February 08, 1999 - 10:42 am: But wasn't it Dr. Bashier who finds her?? Lea Frost on Friday, February 19, 1999 - 1:20 pm: Actually, I don't think it's actually said anywhere that Bashir was the one who found her... # Keith Alan Morgan on Sunday, May 02, 1999 - 8:26 am: They finally decided that they've been fighting a defensive war long enough. Excuse me, what about the sneak attack on Taurus III in Call to Arms, destroying the Ketracel-White depot in A Time to Stand, destroying the Argolis Cluster 'listening post' in Behind the Lines, and retaking DS9 in Favor the Bold & Sacrifice of Angels, weren't those offensive actions? They were relativly small scale. # A photon torpedo passes through the opening of the Romulan ship. Just how are those shields supposed to work? They probably follow the outer skin of the ship, as generating a shield over the opening would be less effective. # Why did Gul Dukat need to go to DS9 for the Pa-Wraith to destroy the orbs? At the beginning of the series the Cardassians had eight of the nine known orbs. One orb was returned in Prophet Motive and a second was returned in Trials And Tribble-ations, which means that the Cardassians should have the other six. Even if all the orbs were returned to Bajor why not go to one of the ones on the planet instead of going after the lone one on the station? DS9 is closer to the wormhole – he may not have been able to close it from Bajor! # Doesn't the closing of the wormhole contradict Trakor's Third Prophecy (Destiny) about the gates of the Celestial Temple never closing? Anonymous on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 - 11:32 am: After the events of The Reckoning, things are not they were supposed to be (thanks to Kai Winn), so I imagine most of the prophecies are no longer valid. KAM on Wednesday, March 31, 2004 - 3:24 am: My problem with that is that the prophecies were presumably based on visions of the future from the orbs. If we take the changed time possibility then the orbs were not showing the future. (How very Brannon Braga of them.) A simpler explanation is that when Trakor had his visions he never saw this point in time, but may have seen into the future after the wormhole had been reopened. # Spockania on Friday, February 09, 2001 - 11:29 pm: I'm not sure if this is an equipment oddity or not... The UFP flag on Jadzia's coffin is laid so that the short ends of the flag hang off the long sides of the tube. All the times I've seen military burials the flag has always been laid so that it superimposes the coffin- long ends to long ends, short to short. I believe they did the same for Lisa Cuzak's coffin in The Sound of Her Voice. Notes Category:Episodes Category:Deep Space Nine